Tony Cummings reports on the recent changes within FAMILY FORCE 5

The rock and electro band from Atlanta, Georgia, Family Force
5, who since their formation in 2003 have released five studio albums,
nine EPs and two remix projects and have delivered a slew of Cross
Rhythms radio hits including 2006's "Drama Queen", 2008's "D.I.E. 4
Y.O.U.", 2012's "Love Addict (Backwood Remix)", 2013's "Superhero",
2014's "When Everything's Changing" and 2017's "Out of This World",
seem to be nearing their end.

The band's drummer Teddy "Hollywood" Boldt has just announced on
social media "After much prayer and consideration, I've decided to
move on from Family Force 5. It's been an incredible four years and I
am beyond thankful for all the amazing people I've met along the way.
I can't wait to see what 2018 and beyond has in store for everyone! To
all the ridiculously amazing people I've met on the road: thank you
for taking me in for this great season of my life."

Boldt's exit makes him the third FF5 member to leave the band within the
last year, with longtime members Derek Mount and Nathan Currin
withdrawing within weeks of each other in May of 2017. Currently, the
only remaining band members are founding brothers Jacob and Joshua
Olds. A story on the New Release Today website has tried to evaluate
the departures in the light of no announcements from the Olds brothers
and the continuing delayed release of their sixth album.

Fatty and
Crouton

"No official announcement has been made yet as to the
potential of total disbandment or the release of the long-awaited
fifth studio album. However, the band did leave a cryptic hint as to
their future. FF5
completely erased all of their former content on Instagram today,
leaving in its place a simple eight second video. The video features a
simple black screen with the FF5 logo in the center and seems to mimic a
'90s style television broadcast, fading to static, a rainbow test
screen, and then powering down altogether, indicating a lost signal.
The most likely interpretation for commenting fans seems to be that
the band is 'powering down' or going the way of the VHS tape. But fans
should bear in mind that it's a similar Instagram strategy employed by
artists like Taylor Swift before a relaunch, rebrand and new music.
Will we see a rebranded version of FF5 with a new name but similar style? If
so, we're hoping the brothers go with something like
'OldsCool'."

The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.

About Tony Cummings

Tony Cummings is the music editor for Cross Rhythms website and attends Grace Church in Stoke-on-Trent.